Bridge, you gotta carry that weight

But no bridge can stand for long, let alone lift the weight of night and traffic when corrosion cripples its foundation. And corrosion cripples the nation's infrastructure at a cost of $400 billion a year.

The University of Akron is addressing the nation's failing infrastructure by bringing together many of the greatest minds in corrosion engineering and related fields. They will work to devise solutions during a workshop on corrosion management for sustainable bridges today through Dec. 12 at the Student Union Ballroom.

Joe Payer

Workshop co-chair Joe Payer, chief scientist of NCERCAMP and an internationally recognized expert in corrosion engineering, says that "corrosion costs are huge," and that "we need sound strategies to reduce costs, effective programs to realize savings and action to implement these programs."

UA's National Center for Education and Research on Corrosion and Materials Performance (NCERCAMP) — which supports the nation's first and only baccalaureate program in corrosion engineering and conducts research and technology transition projects related to corrosion prevention and mitigation — was selected by the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to host the workshop. Topics to be addressed include: degradation processes, advanced materials, reconstruction and rehabilitation, and reliability and performance assessment.